Contest: The Lady needs a name.

I was vacuuming this past weekend and I was pondering NVL. As the dog hair and cat hair were being sucked up, it hit me. I should just world build the Lady. Then, like a flood gate ideas began to tsunami into my thoughts. The gears churned, mulling over it in my head for 36 hours I think I have a workable storyline I'd like to share.

I keep getting these vignette images of silly things the Lady might do and it dawned on me why not create a world for her to do them in. So far, I see this world consisting of three places; the town she lives, Vinageville, 'The City' the giant nearby metropolis where all her dreams will come true, and a smaller nearby ville or burgh, I haven't decided.

Vintageville is basically a retro mecca. It's got a soda shop, a museum, a local tv station, a newspaper, an Elks Lodge (or equivalent), you name it. The Lady just moved there from said smaller town (that's still in the air) because she bought a 'new' house. She wanted to live somewhere between her old hometown and 'The City' because she wanted to be close to a place where her dreams are gonna come true. 

Her great Uncle (name undetermined) lives in Vintageville and he owns the barber shop. He told her of this house for sale and did all the scouting for her. She gets there and the house is not like the picture he sent. In fact it's nearly dilapidated. He sees it a a fixer-upper, she sees it as a disaster.

The Lady had hoped to spend the time in her new house working on her dream, but she now has to get a job to pay for the repairs on the house. She gets a job sewing clothing in Mildred's Fashions,  the seamstress shop in Vintageville's downtown. This sets our story.

I'm still working out the total number of characters, but the Lady is our own highly fashionable gal from my drawings. 



I've decided on part of her name. I want her initials to be NVL, and her last name is Ladie, which is 'lady' but spelled this way. Her nickname is 'Lady' because of her last name, but I want her first name to start with an N and her middle name a V. Get it?

She is going to have  BFF whom she will get into crazy hijinks with. I'm still working out that character. Also, the seamstress Mildred will be a tough old coot, who will know everything and everyone.

Her great uncle, right now named Mr. Ladie, will be a gentle old man who you will always think is going to fall over, but he's fine. Totally totally fine...just don't get a straight razor shave from him at the barbershop.


This is Lady's brother. I don't have his name yet, but I want it to be something that starts with an 'O'. Not Oscar. He's 8 and wants to be a magician, which is the reason he wears the magician's cape all the time. He watches the Magic Hour every Saturday morning on station 4 to see the Magnificent Mr. Meddles preform magic tricks all over Vintageville. 

I know what you are thinking, where are their parents!? I don't know that yet. Still working that out.

Last but not least, we have this guy, Beau.


Beau is from Vintageville and he owns and runs the service station in town. He took it over after his dad retired. I don't know what Beau's family name is, but it's going to be something French. Beau is a nice fella and quite sought after by the ladies in town. He likes to hang with his greaser friends and they all fix cars and swing dance at the local bar. His best friend runs a tattoo parlor in The City. Besides that he is pretty much focused on work. And he does get his hair cut every week at Mr. Ladie's barber shop.

That's what I have so far. My vision for this is to do a page a week and see where it goes from there. What I need from you all are names!!! I need a first and middle name for Lady. I need a last name for Beau, and a name for the little brother starting with an O.

Give me some good old timey names, and which ever names I pick I'll send you a prize! More details on that later.

I'm going to finish up the character designs this week and have some finished ones next week. I'll go from there. So tell me what you think? And help get with some names!

Okay, have a great day!

38 comments:

  1. Oh, fun!

    Lady: Norma Lorraine
    Beau: Girard
    Brother: Otis

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shelley, I just realized it was supposed to be an NVL name- that's what I get for being up at 4am. Let me try again!
    Norma Vivian or Norma Violet
    Beau Girard
    Otis
    Funny that I chose your Mom's name. It is a nice 40s name.
    Goodnight!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Norah vivienne
    nuula vienne

    Beau Francis
    Beau Henry ( spoken french try to speak english)

    otis is nice
    by orson is already good, too.

    greetings from germany
    stella

    ReplyDelete
  4. Obadiah or Octavious

    Bastiste or Devereaux,

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like Vera or Verity as middlle names.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Norma (I mean who could resist Marlyin's given name)

    Virginia would be a great middle name (It was my grandmother's name).

    I like the previous suggestions of Obadiah and Otis (though I might not should mention that is what I named my dog..hmmm... I like to name animals people names, I can't help it).

    How about Orville?

    ReplyDelete
  7. oh, just though of another one.
    Veruca like the girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (not the best behaved kid, but cute name :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. How about:

    NVL: Nelda Vera Ladie?
    O: Orlando
    B: You can borrow one of my great-grandmother's names, Charlebois! Or DeJardin" Beau DeJardin(Beautiful garden?)

    ReplyDelete
  9. NVL: Nouvelle! She could like in southeastern Louisiana, like me . . .
    Beau: Fontenot? Boudreaux? Naquin? Thibodeaux?
    All good cajun names.
    O: I like Orlando. It's also french. Then they could all be cajun.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Oooh! There are some good names in here. Keep it up!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Nadine, Noelle, Nathalie, Nouria
    Veronique, Vivienne
    Beau de la Mer, Fontaine, Theroux, Martine
    Oliver, Omar, Olivier, Orly

    ReplyDelete
  12. Naomi Valentine for Ms. Ladie.
    Oliver, Orane, Ormond for the "O"
    I have friends in France named DeFranchi, he is an opera singer in Bordeaux, great last name.
    Looking forward to this story sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  13. She's Nancy Vera (my maternal grandmother)
    brother is Oswald
    Beau's surname is Laurent

    ReplyDelete
  14. Nichelle Victoria Ladie

    Octavius Temujin Lakie

    Jean Francois LeBeau

    ReplyDelete
  15. Wow, some gooood stuff in here. I'm still not sold on Beau's sir name. Need something with length, perhaps...

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hello, (usually I lurk) but if you're having trouble, here is a link with french last names and their meanings http://surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/french

    If nothing else you can choose something based on Beau's personality traits or work, etc. From looking LeBeau as a last name means handsome and seems based on the word beau so you could always switch his names around.

    ReplyDelete
  17. How about Nita Vivian;
    Orly for the brother;
    & Beauregard Clavel


    ReplyDelete
  18. Oops I meant to add that people are called by any name regardless of what their names are. And even 50, 60 years ago nicknames were common.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Nola Valentine Ladie
    Nora Valencia
    Norma Velvet
    Naomi Victoria

    Othello
    Oberon
    Obrien

    Beau Beaumont
    Beau Bisset
    Beau Blanc

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nicole Verlie Ladie? (although my own name being Nadine I may be biased...lol)
    For the little brother, I have not a clue that has not already been mentioned.
    For the romantic interest, find a city in france which peaks your interst.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I was going to suggest Nora or Nell, though I like Norma (my great-grandma's name) and Nola (for New Orleans). Maybe Viola or Violet, Vera...?

    As for Beau's last name, not sure if Granma's maiden name would quite sound right, but still: Bushon/Bushong/Bouchon

    ReplyDelete
  22. Nadine Vivian

    Oren

    Beau Chevalier
    Beau Charpentier
    Beau Bouchard

    ReplyDelete
  23. N names ... I like many of the ones suggested! Nora and Nadine are nice
    V names ... Violette, Valentina
    O names ... since you're thinking French ... Olivier?
    And last names for Beau ... maybe this will help? http://genealogy.familyeducation.com/browse/origin/french

    ReplyDelete
  24. nellie vernice ladie!

    ReplyDelete
  25. I think this is a brilliant idea.
    So far the only things I have come up with are a middle name for NVL: Violet, and a couple of possible O names for her brother: Oliver or Otis (which makes me think of elevators which are kind of 'magic' to a kid)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I don't comment all that often, but I do enjoy reading! I have two suggestions for NV, but they don't really go together...however they might work with something else someone already suggested.

    The n name is Nazly, I live in Colombia and it seems to be a variation on Nathalie--when I first heard it, I thought it was Nati, but I like it a lot.
    And the v name is Vashti! The king's first wife from the book of Esther...I mean, other than her not wanting to obey her husband by dancing naked in front of everyone she seems like she was a perfectly nice person and it's always struck me as unfair how she was treated. Not that I don't like Esther, it just seems that Vashti got short shrift. That's all I got :) Good Luck!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I can't wait to read up on this! My great-grandmother who was quite the lady in the 30's, working as a lady doctor in the south for chickens instead of cash. Her Name was Verdonia (ver-dOn-ya) and they called her Verdie.

    As for O names- Oswin, Omri, Oslo, Oren, Otis and Osric.

    N names- Neila, Neema, Nona, Nora and Nadean

    For last names I like Beau Laurent-Voiture. It means car in French, I couldn't resist. :)

    Keep up the good work Lady :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. I have a couple of "N" names; I think some of the ones already suggested are very good: Nadine, Nell or Nellie, and Nora.

    How about Nerine (It's a flower name), Nula or Natalie? Very old-fashioned.

    For "V" Names I like Veronica, Vernonia, Vervain, Vivianne.

    For the little brother: Odell, Orson

    What an interesting idea! Really love your blog; read it all the time, even if I don't comment much.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Nellie Valentina
    Little brother Oliver
    Uncle Vern or Melvin
    sweetheart: Beau Laurent Dupre

    ReplyDelete
  30. I thinki Nora is a good name, Vinette for middle name :)

    ReplyDelete
  31. I'm really excited your turning the lady into a comic, and I can't wait to see the pages, good luck!
    Names (if you still want them):

    I'm not sure I have any good N names, just Natalie, or Nora, Nana(now theirs a first name that would drive you to a nickname) V-Veronica? Valerie? Vera (I sort of feel these may have been said though)

    What if her brother's O name was a nickname? like "oh boy", after all, his sister Lady goes by a nickname, perhaps it could be on some way over the top given name, like Winston, or Marmaduke?

    So, for Beau, I was trying to think of french surnames, here are the ones I know: Kozic, D'Hautville, Ohlin, I don't know, maybe you ould mash a few nice soundign bits together to get somthing longer?

    Good luck, so excited!

    ReplyDelete
  32. WOW! There are some great names in here and I think Ive made my choices! Ill post next week.

    Thanks you all! You guys are super dooper!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. I'd like to throw 'Varushka' into the pool for the Lady's middle name. Nodding to the large for her time fashion model of the 1960's. I think Varushka would lend and aire of mystery, excitement, and intrigue to the Lady.

    ReplyDelete
  34. kids name.. Ollie...as was once followed by Johnston.
    Lady's Middle name..I agree with whoever said 'Velvet', but it needs feminizing.. Velvette.
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. I really liked the suggestion of Odell for the boy....Olson, Olly, Ormond...

    Nadine, Nellie/Nell, Navine/Navina, Noreen...

    Viola, Violet, Vonsha, Veranda...

    As for Beau...I'm sensing something with a bit of a Creole flair...Abellard, Allemand, Andrepont, Chauvin de Léry, De Castera, De la Fosse... I'm pulling these from: http://www.acadianmemorial.org/ensemble_encore2/cajunrootsc.htm

    ReplyDelete

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